Deaf forever to the battle's din

Scrap Thrall and Necro Captain
28mm

Win or lose, naught to choose
All men are equal when their memory fades
No one knows, friend or foes
if Valhalla lies beyond the grave

The undead come in many forms... whether reanimated by sheer will and hatred, arcane necromancy, or the unnatural sciences, they lurch malevolently through the world, formidable foes for the living...

 

These two figures have been stuck in my lead pile for many years, because I just don't paint many skeletons!  But I wanted something spooky to paint for October, so here they are.  An odd couple, to be sure; I went with thematically matching paint jobs while giving each one a distinctive look.  I'm glad I'd learned the foam smoke technique I used here, I can't imagine the Thrall looking right without it.

The creaking, smoking minion wasn't much help searching the
swamp, but the Necro Captain did rely on it to mindlessly savage
any enemies they might encounter

Big Bird

Terror Bird
28mm scale

This large and muscular flightless bird could be a species of Gastornis/Diatryma (55 mya) or the more recent and savage Phorusrhacid Titanis (1.5 mya).  

I included this amazing Antediluvian Miniatures figure almost as an afterthought when I ordered Mary Anning.  They have some other really nice looking prehistoric creature figures referencing the history of paleontology itself.

The filming of "Lemurian Explorers", 1928: Burt Hardcastle couldn't help feeling that this was awfully realistic for a special effect...

The Maiden's Embrace

Iron Maiden
28mm scale

Yo, I'll hug a girl like it don't mean nothin'
Then turn around and start huggin' her cousin
I don't love 'em, end of the f***in' discussion
Got 'em tucked between my wings like thanksgiving stuffing

Forced into the chamber, the hapless victim screams in terror as the doors are slammed closed, impaling them on countless iron spikes.  A horrific fate for usurper, rebel, or heretic...

Despite the Iron Maiden's central place in everyone's imagination of what a medieval torture chamber would look like... there's no actual evidence that any such device was constructed or used prior to the modern era. The most well-known example, the Maiden of Nuremberg, is a replica of a 19th century construction.  Nevertheless, any "torture museum" tourist trap worth its salt can be expected to have one on display.

This particular example is from WizKids Deep Cuts, with the skeletal victim added by me.

In the catacombs beneath his new home,
Howard makes a gruesome discovery...

Mind over matter

Psykers
15mm

If you could read my mind, love,
What a tale my thoughts could tell...

The first children born with what was called "Mehdi's Syndrome" were seen as isolated birth defects: smooth, almost reptilian facial features, large hands, and complete hairlessness.  Many simply underwent facial surgery and led seemingly normal lives.  As they matured, however, it became apparent that almost all of them possessed truly bizarre mental abilities: strong telepathy, telekinesis, sometimes even limited precognition of future events.  Some were taken into government programs, others fled to the lawless demi-monde or remote areas to escape.  All were considered a threat, but also an opportunity for those who sought to control and harness their power...

The Psykers are Alternative Armies figures.

Cyberpunk Oni
15mm

Tough, brutal, yet surprisingly intelligent, Oni are sought after as enforcers and soldiers by many an underworld boss...

I've painted this Alternative Armies figure before, but I got another one in a trade and thought I could do even better!  It definitely needed more than a new colour scheme though, so I added a bit of greenstuff and an old 28mm Necromunda laspistol.  This guy's hands are so big, it doesn't even look out of scale.

Two Special Unit psykers snare a
dangerous foe...

Ancient Lurker in the Woods

The Troll
15mm scale

"Stay near the village!" they warn their children, "Or the troll will get you!"  Some believe it a survivor of the ancient war between the Pah Trolls and the sky gods, or a cursed earth spirit.  Once, emboldened by rice wine and brave songs, some villagers went hunting it with nets, spears, and axes.  Only one returned, telling how the troll spit lances of fire and crushed men beneath its huge feet.  They call the dark, marshy area of the forest where it lurks the "Pah Troll roots", and nobody goes there.

The Troll is an Ion Age "Steornade Battlesuit" from Alternative Armies, generously spackled with moss and a mix of fine flock and PVA.

The terror emerges, its eyes aflame...

Raiders of the lost paintjob

Pulp Adventurers
15mm

"Do we need the monkey?"
"I'm surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He's got your looks, too."

These figures were a lot of fun... I received them from an Instagram friend to paint as a trade.  I don't know where they're all from: I suspect Rebel Miniatures and perhaps somewhere else?  Anyway, they have a lot of great "Indiana Jones" energy :)

On a whim, I made a little "jungle altar with gold idol" piece to go with them... I'm sure it's not booby trapped.

15 mm catch-up

Wasteland Witch
15mm

 

 

I'm a little behind on blog posting!   Anyone following my Instagram can see it all there, but I've neglected this site :(

The Wasteland Witch is a great Loud Ninja Games figure, that I got from Alternative Armies in the "Mutants 1" pack.  Perfect for offering post-apocalyptic PCs a side quest, or rare items.  I liked her so much I made her a little hut or hovel to lurk in:

"Seeking answers, you have come!  Yes... about the Before Times!"

 

Robot Hound
15 mm scale

They sent a slamhound on Turner's trail in New Delhi, slotted it to his pheromones and the color of his hair. It caught up with him on a street called Chandni Chauk and came scrambling for his rented BMW through a forest of bare brown legs and pedicab tires. Its core was a kilogram of recrystallized hexogene and flaked TNT.

He didn't see it coming. The last he saw of India was the pink stucco facade of a place called the Khush-Oil Hotel.

An Alternative Armies figure... I added the tail.  Is it a loyal space pooch or a deadly assassination device?  Cyberpunk writers definitely lean to the latter...

Caught at close quarters, they didn't stand a chance...

Soldat de Vide
15 mm

This amazing one-off Steampunk-style Alternative Armies figure caught my eye a while ago, and I'm blown away by it in person.  First, it's just a really cool design; I love the diving-suit-style helmet and old rifle.  But as an Instagram follower said "It looks like 28mm".  I don't take any credit for that, it's such a great quality sculpt that it COULD be bigger and still considered excellent!

If Victorian SF/Steampunk was a slightly larger and less saturated market already, this could easily be the basis for a really cool army...